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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No' Model.)

' J. A. GROEBLI.

FABRIC PUFFING MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 22 1898.,

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(Np Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.-

J. A. GROEBLI. FABRIC PUPFING MACHINE.

No; 599,328. Patented Feb. 22, 1898.

INVENTOR 45., ATTORNEYS.

AENI rricn,

J OSEPII A. GROEBLI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE KURSHEEDT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IFABRIC PUFFING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,328, dated February 22, 1898.

Application filed Tune 11, 1896. Serial No. 695,077. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH A. GROEBLI, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fabric-Puffing Machines, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fabric-puffing machines, and has for its object to produce a machine wherein fabric may be puffed or crimped or fluted.

My invention has for its special object to produce a machine which will crimp or flute the fabric without tearing it.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, I will state that as at present constructed crimping rolls or devices have a number of teeth in contact acting on the fabric. The fabric coming to the crimping roll is drawn in around the teeth as they are about to mesh and pass through the rolls. It will be obvious that the teeth of the rolls at the point or line where the rolls are diametrically opposite to each other-that is to say, in the plane of the axes of the rol1s-are more 2 5 deeply in mesh than the teeth are where the fabric first enters the rolls. Consequently the teeth where the fabric first enters the rolls not at that moment meshing with each other to the full extent a less quantity of fab- 0 ric than is necessary to reach entirely to the bottom of the grooves between the teeth will be drawn in, so that as the rolls revolve and draw the fabric in there will not be sufficient fabric drawn in by the first teeth coming in 3 5 mesh to extend entirely around the teeth when they reach the plane of the axes of the rolls, and consequently in order to accommodate itself to the rolls the fabric must either stretch or tear when it reaches the plane of the axes. In order to obviate this difficulty, it is necessary to bring the fabric to the main crimping-rolls in a crimped condition, so that the teeth as they come into mesh will take a greater quantity of fabric in than the extent 5 of their meshing, (this they do by virtue of the fact that the preliminary crimper, hereinafter referred to, has already crimped the fabric,) so that as the rolls continue to revolve there will be sufficient fabric drawn in to extend around the teeth when they reach the plane of the axes of the rolls, which is their line of greatest mesh. I have been to some pains to describe this operation in order to make it perfectly apparent that I am not seeking to aggregate two sets of crimpingrolls, but merely to provide a preliminary crimper whereby the fabric may be given a crimp of full depth Without tearing the goods and to thereupon pass the goods in a crimped condition to the main crimping-rolls in order to enable the main crimping-rolls,which have several teeth in mesh, to take up a sufficient quantity of fabric to enable the crimping to be done without injury to the fabric.

My invention will be understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a puffing-machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a detail View showing a crimping wheel or roll with a preliminary crimper in cooperative relation therewith and a guide and conductor for the material to be crimped.

In the drawings, 1 1 are standards having the inclined ways 2 2 and a cap 3. lVorking in the ways in the standards are bearingblocks 4 5, which carry hollow shafts 6 7, which carry the crimping or fluting rolls or wheels 8 9. These crimping or fluting rolls are shown as comprising a plurality of toothed sections 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23, with intervening plane or curved sections 24 25. The toothed portions of these crimpingrolls mesh with each other, so that the upper roll is driven from the lower, or vice versa, the upper bearing 5 being provided with an adjnsting-rod 26, (having the intervening spring 27,) passing through the cap 3 for the purpose of adjusting it to regulate the extent of the go meshing of the rolls. Mounted in front of these rolls is a fabric-conductor, shown in the present instance as consisting of an undulated fabric-conductor 28 for bringing the fabric up to the crimping-rolls, the said guide 5 being also, if desired, provided with guidebars 29 .3, between which the fabric enters. This conductor may be supported in any suitable manner, as by means of a bed-block 30, pivoted to the frame 1 by the pivot 32, or otherwise supported. The machine is also preferably provided with a curved guide or guides 31, shown in the present instance as consisting of a plurality of upwardly-curved teeth for the purpose of supporting the fabric in its path from the preliminary crimper to the main crimping-roller. The conductor for the fabric may also be provided with a brace 33 for entering the eyes 34 in order to adjust the inclination of the fabric-conductor. In proximity to the conductor and meshing with the first of the fiuting or crimping rolls, being the one first reached by the fabric, is a preliminary crimper, shown in the present instance as a star-wheel 35, whose shaft is supported by the curved guides 31 and which meshes with a few, say two, of the teeth of said crimping or fiuting roll and is driven therefrom. The function and purpose of this preliminary crimper is to give to the fabric a preliminary crimp before it enters between the crimping-rolls 8 9, which have several sets of teeth in mesh, so that when it enters between the crimping-rolls which have several teeth in mesh the strain upon the fabric in the rolls will be minimized, for it will be obvious that where several teeth of the main rolls are in mesh the goods in traveling between the rolls will be thereby stretched and torn unless the said goods come to the said rolls in a crimped condition.

It will be observed that the teeth of the preliminary crimping-wheel 35 enter between the teeth of the main crimping-roller 9 to a less extent than do the teeth of the other main crimping-roller 8. This is the preferred arrangement for obvious reasons. By my invention, however, when the preliminary crimp has been given, while there is as yet no strain, the fabric comes into the main crimping-rolls in av crimped condition and in sufficient length to take the permanent crimp imparted by the main crimping-rolls without stretching or tearing.

Located between the toothed portions of the lower crimping-roll and bearing upon the periphery of the said roll is a series of clothpressers 36, which are adjustable by means of the pivoted frame 37 and the set-screws 3S and spring set-screw 39 in the frame of the machine. The crimping-rolls, which constitute the main working part of the machine, may be driven in any suitable manner, as by means of the gearing 4O 41, which is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. 1. One or more of the crimping-rolls may be provided with a suitable heating means, such as a steam-supply 42.

The operation of the device shown is as follows: The fabric comes to the machine in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 and passes between the guide-bars 29 43 to the fabric-conductor 2S, and as the conductor 28 is ridged or undulated the fabric will follow the contour of the said undulations and the machine will take in a fabric considerably wider than itself, this occurring by reason of the undulations. From the conductor the fabric passes between the crimping-roll 9 and the preliminary crimper or star-wheel 35, which, as before mentioned, meshing but a few teeth at a time with the crimping-roll 9,

will impart to the fabric a preliminary crimp without stretching or straining the said fabric. The preliminarily-crimped fabric now passes between the main crimping-rolls 8 9 andis given its final crimp or flute. It will be observed that the toothed portions of the main crimping-rolls are placed side by side in pairs, leaving an untoothed space 24 25 between the pairs and a space 44 between the individuals of the pair of toothed portions. In this space 44 the pressers 36 work, which pressers have the effect of pressing down the crimp or flute to receive the stitch, which is subsequently passed through by a sewingmachine in order to hold the crimps in place so that the fabric will not resume its original form but will remain in the condition of a puffed fabric.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of toothed crimping or fluting devices meshing with each other and arranged to crimp a fabric laterally, a toothed preliminary crimper engaging the fabric before it reaches the said crimping devices with a less number of teeth than the fabric engages when in the said crimping devices and operating to crimp the fabric on lines running laterally to the direction of the feed of the fabric to such a degree as to adapt the said fabric to fit into the crimping devices, all arranged so that the preliminary crimper will transmit a laterally-crimped fabric to the main crimping devices, which crimped fabric will be permanently crimped by the main crimping devices.

2. The combination of crimping-rolls, a preliminary crimper placed in front of said crimping-rolls, and operating to crimp the fabric into such a form as will fit into the crimping-rolls, all arranged so that the said preliminary crimper will impart a preliminary crimp to a fabric before it reaches the crimpin g-rolls, which said portion of the fabric containing the preliminary crimp will be finally crimped by the crimping-rolls into the form originally imparted to it by the preliminary crimper, a 'presser, and means for compacting the fabric laterally, substantially as de scribed.

3. The combination of toothed crimping or fiuting devices meshing with each other and arranged to crimp a fabric laterally, a toothed preliminary crimper engaging the fabric-before it reaches the said crimping devices with a less number of teeth than the fabric engages when in the said crimping devices and operating to crimp the fabric on lines running laterally to the direction of the feed of the fabric to such a degree as to adapt the said fabric to fit into the crimping devices, all arranged so that the preliminary crimper will transmit a laterally-crimped fabric to the main crimping devices, which crimped fabric will be permanently crimped by the main crimping devices, combined with mechanism for compacting the fabric laterally, substantially as described.

4. The combination of toothed crimping or fiuting devices meshing with each other and arranged to crimp a fabric laterally, a toothed preliminary crimper engaging the fabric be fore it reaches the said crimping devices with a less number of teeth than the fabric engages when in the said crimping devices and operating to crimp the fabric on lines running laterally to the direction of the feed of the fabric to such a degree as to adapt the said fabric to fit into the crimping devices, all arranged so that the preliminary crimper will transmit a laterally-crimped fabric to the main crimping devices, which crimped fabric will be permanently crimped by the main crimping devices, and an undulating guide for compacting or undulating the fabric laterally, substantially as described.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of crimping-rolls, means for forming longitudinal puckers in the fabric, the said means also operating to conduct the fabric to the crimping-rolls, a preliminary crimper comprising a star-wheel meshing with one of the crimping-rolls to a less extent than the crimpingrolls mesh with each other, whereby a preliminary crimp will be imparted to the fabric, which crimp is subsequently permanentized by the crimping-rolls, and a presser for pressing the crimps imparted to the fabric.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a fabric-conductor for bringing the fabric up to the crimping-rolls, a plurality of meshed crimping-rolls, a curved guide extending into the space between the crimping-rolls and a star-wheel supported by the curved guide.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a fabric-conductin g means for bringing the fabric up to the crimpingrolls, a plurality of meshed crimping-rolls, a guide 31 extending into the space between the meshed crimping-rolls, and a preliminary crimper meshing with one of the crimpingrolls and located between them.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a plurality of meshed crimping-rolls, a fabric-conductor for bringing fabric up to the said crimping-rolls,a guide extending from the fabric-conductor between the crimping-rolls, and a preliminary crimper carried by the guide.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination of meshed crimping-rolls, a guide 31 extending into the space between the crimping-rolls, and a preliminary crimping-roll 35 meshing with one of the crimpingrolls and located intermediate of the ends of the guide, whereby the fabric may be preliminarily crimped and then carried by the guide to the main crimping-rolls.

JOSEPH A. GROEBLI. lVitnesses:

Gno. E. Monsn, HARRY M. TURK. 

